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Thread: Bail Procedure
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Old 14th May 2003 | 19:11
  #10 (permalink)  
Lowtimer
 
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 306
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From: UK Work: London. Home: East Anglia
Like FNG I haven't done this and hope not to, but like anyone who straps on a parachute for aerobatics you do have to think hard and seriously about how you will use it if the need arises, otherwise what's the point? I'm a great believer in "muscle memory", the idea that if you physically rehearse a certain sequence of events your body can recall that sequence even if your conscious mind is overloaded. This leads me to two points. First, I frequently arrive early for my flight, don full flying gear, gloves, helmet etc, sit in the front of the Yak, strap and plug in, and rehearse my bail-out. Canopy locked back, unplug RT, throttle closed, switches off, point aircraft clear, feet out of rudder straps, release harness, get out. This way I learned that it's surprisingly important to deliberately move the harness straps out of the way, simply pulling the pin won't necessarily get you out quickly. I disconnect the RT because my bone dome is firmly attached to me head and it's quicker to pull the RT plugs than take off the helmet, plus when I'm bailing out I want the protection against hitting the tail etc.
Second, I always put the parachute on before I get into the aeroplane, and always get out of the aeroplane before I take the parachute off. The RAF once lost a Bulldog pilot because his muscles were programmed to release all the straps in the cockpit - chute included - then get out at the end of the flight. He jumped, the chute stayed put. And once upon a time I saw a very experienced pilot fasten up a parachute harness in the cockpit, then forget to strap into the aeroplane (fortunately he was reminded as he started to taxy).
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